BOY, I HAVEN’T SMILED THIS MUCH AFTER AN ELECTION IN A LONG TIME.
First off, Meathead’s $2.4 billion tax-the-rich-and-give-it-to-preschool scheme went down in flames,six in 10 California voters said no to Proposition 82, signaling that the electorate has about had it with cockeyed feel-good measures, higher taxes (even when cleverly couched) and excessive spending. A library bond went down, too.
Second, John Moorlach not only weathered a vicious assault by the public employee unions, he beat it back with a vengeance, winning seven of every 10 votes to gain a seat on the county Board of Supervisors.
Refreshingly in Moorlach’s case, all the lies and distortions were of no avail against an honest, accomplished public servant with a clear message: It’s time to bring sanity to the county’s runaway pension and health expenses.
In fact, Moorlach was a black hole for the unions, vaporizing dollars that might otherwise have been deployed against more vulnerable candidates disfavored by organized labor.
Mike Carona, narrowly re-elected as sheriff, can thank Moorlach that more wasn’t spent against him. Chriss Street, Moorlach’s hand-picked successor, breezed to victory despite a bankruptcy-case controversy that didn’t get much beyond the newspapers.
And Supervisor Chris Norby never broke a sweat in winning re-election over his labor-favored opponent. Norby and Moorlach will be a tag team for fiscal reform.
Finally, the county’s Measure A, clamping down on eminent domain, passed overwhelmingly.
For economic redevelopers, Measure A proves the adage, “be careful what you wish for.” The Supreme Court’s Kelo decision was a big win for governments and their favored developers,too big a win, it now seems.
The ensuing backlash of property-rights advocates,reflected in Measure A and other movements across the country,not only could defuse Kelo, but make it tougher than ever for governments to take property from unwilling sellers.
It was a conservative-leaning election, for sure.
,Rick Reiff
